Nine of Hart's Most Enduring Hymns


A Man
there is, a real Man,                   
C.M.
With wounds still gaping wide,
From which rich streams of blood once ran,
In hands, and feet, and side.

2  'Tis no wild fancy of our brains,
No metaphor we speak;
The same dear Man in heaven now reigns,
That suffered for our sake.

3  This wondrous Man of whom we tell,
Is true Almighty God;
He bought our souls from death and hell;
The price, His own heart's blood.

4  That human heart He still retains,
Though throned in highest bliss;
And feels each tempted member's pains;
For our affliction's His.

5  Come, then, repenting sinner, come;
Approach with humble faith;
Owe what thou wilt, the total sum
Is cancelled by His death!

6  His blood can cleanse the blackest soul,
And wash our guilt away;
He will present us sound and whole
In that tremendous day.
 

Come, Holy Spirit, come,                S.M.
Let Thy bright beams arise;
Dispel the sorrow of our minds,
The darkness from our eyes.

2  Convince us of our sin,
Then lead to Jesus' blood,
And to our wondering view reveal
The secret love of God.

3  Revive our drooping faith,
Our doubts and fears remove,
And kindle in our breasts the flame
Of never dying love.

4  Show us that loving Man
That rules the courts of bliss,
The Lord of Hosts, the mighty God,
The eternal Prince of peace.

5  'Tis Thine to cleanse the heart,
To sanctify the soul,
To pour fresh life in every part,
And new-create the whole.

6  Dwell, therefore, in our hearts;
Our minds from bondage free:
Then shall we know and praise and love
The Father, Son and Thee.

 

Come, ye sinners, poor and needy,        87.87.47.
Weak and wounded, sick and sore;
Jesus ready stands to save you,
Full of pity, love, and power:
He is able,
He is willing; doubt no more.

2  Now, ye needy, come and welcome;
God's free bounty glorify:
True belief and true repentance,
Every grace that brings you nigh,
Without money,
Come to Jesus Christ and buy.

3  Let not conscience make you linger,
Nor of fitness fondly dream;
All the fitness He requireth
Is to feel your need of Him:
This He gives you -
'Tis the Spirit's rising beam.

4  Come, ye weary, heavy-laden,
Lost and ruined by the Fall;
If you wait until you're better,
You will never come at all:
Not the righteous -
Sinners, Jesus came to call.

5  View Him prostrate in the garden,
On the ground your Maker lies!
On the awful tree behold Him,
Hear Him cry before He dies,
It is finished!
Sinner, will not this suffice?

6  Lo, the incarnate God, ascended,
Pleads the merit of His blood;
Venture on Him, venture wholly,
Let no other trust intrude:
None but Jesus
Can do helpless sinners good.

 

How good is the God we adore,                8s.
Our faithful, unchangeable Friend!
His love is as great as His power
And knows neither measure nor end!

2  'Tis Jesus the First and the Last,
Whose Spirit shall guide us safe home;
We'll praise Him for all that is past;
We'll trust Him for all that's to come.

 

How wondrous are the works of God,        L.M.
Displayed through all the world abroad!
Immensely great, immensely small!
Yet one strange work exceeds them all.

2  He formed the sun, fair fount of light,
The moon and stars to rule the night;
But night and stars, and moon and sun
Are little works compared with one.

3  The highest heavens are short of this;
'Tis deeper than the vast abyss:
'Tis more than thought can e’er conceive,
Or hope expect, or faith believe.

4  Almighty God sighed human breath!
The Lord of life experienced death!
How it was done we can’t discuss,
But this we know,
twas done for us.

5  Blest with this faith, then, let us raise
Our heart in love, our voice in praise;
We now believe, but soon shall know
The greatest glories God can show.

 

Jesus is our God and Saviour,            87.87.D.
Guide and Counsellor and Friend,
Bearing all our misbehaviour,
Kind and loving to the end.
Trust Him; He will not deceive us,
Though we hardly of Him deem;
He will never, never leave us;
Nor will let us quite leave Him.

2  Nothing but Thy blood, O Jesus,
Can relieve us from our smart;
Nothing else from guilt release us;
Nothing else can melt the heart.
Law and terrors do but harden,
All the while they work alone:
But a sense of blood-bought pardon
Soon dissolves a heart of stone.

3  Jesus, all our consolations
Flow from Thee, the sovereign good,
Love and faith and hope and patience,
All are purchased by Thy blood.
From Thy fulness we receive them;
We have nothing of our own;
Freely Thou delight’st to give them
To the needy, who have none. 

 

Come, ye redeemed of the Lord,            C.M.
Your grateful tribute bring;
And celebrate with one accord
The birthday of our King.

2  Let us with humble hearts repair,
Faith will point out the road,
To little Bethlehem and there
Adore our infant God.

3  The crowded inn, like sinners’ hearts,
O ignorance extreme!
For other guests, of various sorts,
Had room; but none for Him.

4  But see what different thoughts arise
In our and angels’ breasts;
To hail His birth they left the skies,
We lodged Him with the beasts!

5  Yet let believers cease their fears
Nor envy heavenly powers;
If sinless innocence be theirs,
Redemption all is ours.

 

Descend from heaven, celestial Dove,            886.D.
With flames of pure seraphic love;
Our ravished breasts inspire;
Fountain of joy, blest Paraclete,
Warm our cold hearts with heavenly heat,
And set our souls on fire.

2  Breathe on these bones, so dry and dead;
Thy sweetest, softest influence shed
In all our hearts abroad;
Point out the place where grace abounds;
Direct us to the bleeding wounds
Of our incarnate God.

3  Conduct, blest Guide, Thy sinner-train
To Calvary, where the Lamb was slain,
And with us there abide;
Let us our loved Redeemer meet,
Weep o’er His pierced hands and feet,
And view His wounded side.

4  Teach us for what to pray, and how;
And since, kind God,
tis only Thou
The throne of grace canst move,
Pray Thou for us, that we, through faith,
May feel the effects of Jesus’ death,
Through faith, that works by love.

5  Thou, with the Father and the Son,
Art that mysterious Three-in-One,
God blest for evermore!
Whom though we cannot comprehend,
Knowing Thou art the sinner’s Friend,
We love Thee and adore.

 

The blest memorials of thy grief,            C.M.
Thy sufferings and Thy death,
We come, dear Saviour, to receive;
But would receive with faith.

2  The tokens, sent to us relieve
Our spirits when they droop,
We come, dear Saviour, to receive;
But would receive with hope.

3  The pledges Thou wast pleased to leave,
Our mournful minds to move,
We come, dear Saviour, to receive;
But would receive with love.

4  Here, in obedience to Thy word,
We take the bread and wine,
The utmost we can do, dear Lord,
For all beyond is Thine.

5  Increase our faith, and hope, and love:
Lord, give us all that’s good;
We would Thy full salvation prove,
And share Thy flesh and blood.